Why Do We Make It So Hard Sounding

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by StuM

According to the OP and some others, we don't need to know those things to be a sailor.

It's absolutely BS that I said people shouldn't know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I bet you go post searching for something to spin.

[Cadence]

Where did this go from knowing basic terms to knowing every knot possible or being able to make a monkey's fist for example?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

who, unlike Sailorboy, took pity on me, took me under his wing, and endeavored to spend in inordinate amount of time to teach and show me the "correct" way...

.

And what exactly have I refused to tell or help you with? And where have I said people shouldn't do things the "correct way", whatever that might be???????

The point of the thread is we make it seem so hard. But really is easy!

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

The point of the thread is we make it seem so hard. But really is easy!

It's all so easy, but then for some reason some people can't be bothered to even learn these "really easy" basic things such as the correct terminology for ropes and other items onboard?

That's without actually getting into the technical aspects of using said items proficiently.

I seem to just be missing the part where if it's all really easy why isn't everyone doing it correctly then?

And to be more direct - if it's all really easy why is the forum often full of what appear to be somewhat inane questions, often from 'cruisers' that already have boats and are already out there cruising in some fashion but don't seem to have the answers to many basic daily questions that occur onboard?

I'm not talking about the intricacies of designing and building one's own BMS for one's self assembled lithium battery bank.

From my perspective I'm talking about what often appear to be basic sailing proficiency questions.

I look here and often think, "do these people really even know the basics of how to sail their boat" ?

I think I already know what the answer to that is...

Although I'll split the difference with SB1 and agree it's partly idiots, and partly that many have never actually learned to sail properly in the first place.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by jmh2002

It's all so easy, but then for some reason some people can't be bothered to even learn these "really easy" basic things such as the correct terminology for ropes and other items onboard?

That's without actually getting into the technical aspects of using said items proficiently.

I seem to just be missing the part where if it's all really easy why isn't everyone doing it correctly then?

And to be more direct - if it's all really easy why is the forum often full of what appear to be somewhat inane questions, often from 'cruisers' that already have boats and are already out there cruising in some fashion but don't seem to have the answers to many basic daily questions that occur onboard?

I'm not talking about the intricacies of designing and building one's own BMS for one's self assembled lithium battery bank.

From my perspective I'm talking about what often appear to be basic sailing proficiency questions.

I look here and often think, "do these people really even know the basics of how to sail their boat" ?

I think I already know what the answer to that is...

Although I'll split the difference with SB1 and agree it's partly idiots, and partly that many have never actually learned to sail properly in the first place.

Not powering down the anchor thread should explain the complexity of whats correct or not.. or what one should be wearing when one trips and falls over the fence..

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by jmh2002

It's all so easy, but then for some reason some people can't be bothered to even learn these "really easy" basic things such as the correct terminology for ropes and other items onboard?



Although I'll split the difference with SB1 and agree it's partly idiots, and partly that many have never actually learned to sail properly in the first place.

Actually far as I am concerned people not learning has nothing to do with boating being hard or easy. It has to do with people being too lazy to do so and puts them into the idiot category to me. People who post a simple question on the forum asking a basic question aren't in the idiot category, they are in the want to learn category.

as always this is my opinion and is worth less than what was paid for it.

[japawil]

“Easy” and “hard” are relative terms. What may seem “easy” to you, may seem “hard” to me or vice versa.
You said yourself, when you “decided to sail/cruise the ASA Fundentials made it seam so hard” (your perception at the time), but
“Turns out sailing is easy and truly was the easiest thing to learn” (your perception now).

The ASA Fundentials didn’t change....your perception of how “hard” or “easy” they were is what changed.

We all have varying aptitudes that make our individual perceptions of what is “easy” or “hard” unique to the individual (and may well change with time and experience).
If you have little experience or aptitude with any task you perceive it as “hard”, the opposite is true for “easy”.

We also have individual aptitudes for methods of learning. Some can learn “easily” from reading, some from watching something demonstrated, some from doing themselves.

Is it possible the parts “we make so hard sounding” are the parts you currently have little experience in or aptitude for, yet will seem “easy” in the future once you have mastered them?

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Actually far as I am concerned people not learning has nothing to do with boating being hard or easy. It has to do with people being too lazy to do so and puts them into the idiot category to me. People who post a simple question on the forum asking a basic question aren't in the idiot category, they are in the want to learn category.

as always this is my opinion and is worth less than what was paid for it.

The idiots are those that belittle and dump on the questioner.

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Actually far as I am concerned people not learning has nothing to do with boating being hard or easy. It has to do with people being too lazy to do so and puts them into the idiot category to me. People who post a simple question on the forum asking a basic question aren't in the idiot category, they are in the want to learn category.

as always this is my opinion and is worth less than what was paid for it.

That's a fair point too, although I may suggest a third category - the "you should have already learnt that" one (again, if it's all so easy / if you are already out cruising / etc, etc).

I will however agree that it is much easier now to get up to basic or maybe even intermediate level. And I think that's because of a lot of the modern tech that is available now.

And this basic to intermediate level can often get you quite far, barring no major issues.

It's now longer quite so essential now to be a weather expert, a celestial nav expert, a storm expert, etc, etc, since much of those issues are now solved by tech and buying a service, and that removes a huge daunting part of the "hard" part of offshore sailing and cruising that existed in the past.

So in a lot of cases it's now just the actual sailing part that's left. And as has been mentioned anyone can pull on a rope to move the white flappy thing and go somewhat in a desired direction.

But ask more than that and you often quickly see the gaps in the knowledge appear. The parts that are harder to learn, or more difficult to actually do.

And when those people get caught out they quickly resort to motoring ("because it's easier") and then that goes wrong and the next step is a call to the coastguard for a rescue.

Being rescued was a lot less likely in the past, so you made more of an effort to become very proficient at a multitude of things yourself - because your life might literally depend on it one day.

Now people "call for mummy" at the slightest thing. Often a thing that was caused by their own inexperienced actions in the first place.

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Not powering down the anchor thread should explain the complexity of whats correct or not.. or what one should be wearing when one trips and falls over the fence..

Actually I just saw that thread today, read the first few posts, and thought - "I'm not getting involved in that!"

[MicHughV]

Sailorboy, my remark was said tongue in cheek to evoke a response from you.

We have never met, nor or ever likely to, but you never know, in which case I'll buy the first round..

[sailorboy1]

I see there is a lot of ability and skill judgement going on in the thread. I don't feel this has anything to do with the easy/hard of boating.

If someone wants to motor when someone feels they should sail, ................ so what? They are out there doing it. I could care less about how people sail etc as long as they don't endanger me. Beyond that why woulk I care what they do on their boat or how they operate it?

BTW - there are boats out there that don't even have a sail. Yes I know, the horror!

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I see there is a lot of ability and skill judgement going on in the thread. I don't feel this has anything to do with the easy/hard of boating.

That's where we disagree. If it was all so easy then everyone would very quickly have that higher level of ability and skill.

A lower level allows a cruiser to do some things, but not others. Or to put it differently possibly be (or feel) in danger when another sailor might not be.

BTW - my side profile notes both and sail and power, so no horror there from me

[jmh2002]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

If someone wants to motor when someone feels they should sail, ................ so what?

So what? Well because it may be the less appropriate choice given the circumstances and may get oneself into even more trouble.

(I avoided saying wrong choice because people here would argue that to the death instead of seeing the big picture). Who decides what is more appropriate or less appropriate? Well that comes from experience.

Ask the same question to Bobby from Sailing Doodles given his recent issues.

Or the thread here about the sailor rescued from his Prout Snowgoose in the Caribbean.

What seemed easy, was maybe easy, until... all of a sudden it wasn't.

And then "oh shxt"

So I guess it doesn't sound hard, and might not be... until you end up in a situation where it is

[Mr B]

Looks like Im an Idiot as I dont know or care what the various ropes are called,
It dont mean Im stupid, I do think,

After doing approx 4000 Nmiles offshore in all weathers, Single handed,
The only person that I talk to is ME,
Some of the wild weather Ive been thru would make a lot of you cringe under the bed,
High winds and bad weather dont bother me, I take it as it comes,

The only time I have to talk about the different ropes on board is when I get onto Cruiser Forums, Hahahahaha

The only time I talked sails is when I was talking to my Sailmaker,
Who informed me I was doing it right after much involved discussion,

Its all trial and error, My GPS tells me how fast Im going with the sails being Put in different positions to make the boat go,
So Im self taught,

I doubt if I ever read a book on how to sail, And I doubt if I ever will, Im just not interested,
I learn by Doing,
I dont need any one to hold my hand either, No matter what happens when the SHTF,

I tried racing on J boats, But it was totally different to how I sail, So I gave it way,
Im a Cruiser and nothing else,

My Marina is locked, You only get in here with a key, I come and go and rarely see any one else,
Ive totally rebuilt my boat in the last 3 years, Beefed up hulls, Including all systems on board,
Yes, Its one of those boats with all the bells and whistles,
Its even got a new anchor windlass now, Donated by my girl who cant lift either of my anchors by hand,

She knows absolutely nothing about boats, So Im still single handed till I teach her how to operate it, Drive it and sail it,
I took her out with predicted 40 knot winds and she loved it, Her first trip ever on a boat of any kind,
We spent 7 days onboard in Bass Strait, She loved that too,
We are now ready to sail the boat around Australia, Approx 18,000 Miles,

Piccys are 3 years ago on the hard,
Bottom piccy is ready to leave,

Cheers, Brian,